The invention relates to reels for wire, cable and like materials. More particularly the invention relates to reels of the aforementioned type which are intended for re-use. Still more particularly the invention relates to reels of the aforementioned type which are collapsible when empty to reduce the overall size thereof for transportation and storage. The invention further relates to a system for stacking and transporting reels of the aforementioned type.
Wire and cable and similar strand materials are wound on relatively large reels by manufacturers of such products for shipment to purchasers and for dispensing by the purchaser. Such reels are provided with axial holes for mounting on the arbor of reel handling apparatus whereby the strand material can be unwound from the reel as required. When empty, the purchaser of the strand material is faced with either disposing of the reel in the case of non-returnable reels or shipping the empty reels back to the manufacturer of the strand material product. In some cases, brokers of such reels are available to buy and resell the empty reels, introducing an extra cost burden in the strand material product market. Use of non-returnable reels is further being hampered by landfill regulations which, in the very near future will no longer permit acceptance of the wood, steel, plastic, or other material from which such reels are constructed. The empty reels are not economically shipped because their volume is significantly greater than their weight, thereby prohibiting an economical weightload on a truck or other transportation mode. Moreover, both the manufacturer and purchaser of the strand material product are faced with significant storage space problems when quantities of such reels are collected.
A collapsible reel for the aforementioned purpose is known from German published patent application DE 3536555A1, published Apr. 23, 1987. This reel comprises a pair of disc-shaped flanges joined together by a plurality of winding supports which are hinged to the respective flanges at their opposite ends and are separated and hinged at their mid-length. The winding supports are arranged in a circle about the axis of the reel, extending parallel to the reel axis to form a drum in their extended condition. The hinging system renders the winding supports articulated for folding when the reel is empty to permit the flanges to be folded substantially together to reduce the axial dimension of the empty reel. Tension springs are provided to resist the folding action, thereby to dampen the collapse of the reel. The patent contemplates that in certain combinations of drum transverse (axial) width, drum diameter and flange diameter, the folded winding supports may protrude beyond the outer diameter of the flanges. It proposes that such condition may be prevented by causing the winding supports to fold normally to a radial dimension of the reel, but suggests that such construction may require a reinforcement or locking mechanism. Such contemplated construction is not shown or described in the patent. Instead, it discloses an alternate embodiment wherein the winding supports are foldable obliquely outward. Although such reel is satisfactory for its intended purpose, this invention relates to improvements thereover.